Figurative Language
“This bag weighs a ton.”
Answer: Hyperbole | It emphasizes heaviness and suggests frustration/weariness.
“The slippery snake slithered silently through the sand.”
Answer: Alliteration | It creates rhythm and draws attention to the phrase.
“He fought like a lion.”
Answer: Simile | Strength/bravery are compared; it creates admiration.
“He was let go from his job.”
Answer: Euphemism | Avoids harshness or sounds polite.
“Wow, you’re a real genius,” after someone makes an obvious mistake.
Answer: Sarcasm | It creates a mocking or critical tone.
“The firecracker went bang and the glass shattered with a crash.”
Answer: Onomatopoeia | They make the scene more vivid and immersive by appealing to sound.
“Every day, every night, every moment, I thought of home.”
Anaphora | Emphasizes constant longing and intensity.
“The cheerful music played as the storm approached.”
Answer: Juxtaposition | It emphasizes the contrast of the coming situation.
“That meal was garbage.”
Answer: Dysphemism | Creates a negative or harsh tone.
“Who wouldn’t want a day off?”
Answer: Rhetorical Question | Encourages agreement.
“The sun smiled down on us.”
Answer: Personification | Creates a pleasant mood, and suggests a friendly, personal touch.
“We laughed and shouted and ran and played.”
Answer: Polysyndeton | Slows pace, adds emphasis and abundance.
“Time is a thief.”
Answer: Metaphor | Time takes things away (youth, moments) without notice.
“I used to be a baker, but I couldn’t make enough dough.”
Answer: Pun | It creates humor through double meaning, makes the speaker not sound very broken up about it.
“That was a bad decision—actually, a terrible one.”
Answer: Metanoia | Emphasizes stronger meaning through correction.
“He’s not a bad player.”
Answer: Litotes (Meiosis) | It creates understatement and sounds less positive.
“Go slow over the road.”
Answer: Assonance | It creates a musical quality and reinforces the phrase.
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
Answer: Antithesis | Emphasizes consequences of unity vs. division.
“That movie is full of bromance moments.”
Answer: Portmanteau | It creates a playful tone and makes the two ideas synonymous.
“The test was hard, but at least it’s over.”
Answer: Antanagoge | Softens negativity by adding a positive.
“Don’t act like a Romeo.”
Answer: Allusion | Quickly suggests romantic/naive behavior and a dramatic/tragic mood.
“Hollywood is obsessed with remakes.”
Answer: Metonymy | It simplifies and represents an entire industry in a quick, recognizable way.
“You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.”
Answer: Antimetabole (Chiasmus) | It makes the idea more memorable and reinforces the contrast.
“Gone are the days of easy victory.”
Answer: Hyperbaton | It emphasizes “gone” and adds dramatic effect.
“What makes a hero? Courage, sacrifice, and determination.”
Answer: Anthypophora | Controls direction of thinking by answering own question.